I just read today in a report from Reuters that the Democrats plan to fast-track a healthcare bill, ramming it through Congress and onto Obama's desk as part of next week's budget resolution. The Democrats' reasoning for rushing this legislation is because they fear that Republicans won't work with them on healthcare reform.
Naturally, the Republicans are angry about this. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has spoken out against it, calling the fast-tracking of such a massive reform “a disservice to the American people.”
Some Democrats oppose the fast-track measure as well. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus stated that he believes a bipartisan plan would produce a more “sustainable” piece of legislation.
I like the idea of every American having access to quality healthcare. I believe it's a travesty that a nation as advanced and industrialized as we have managed to screw up the current system so horribly. However, I do not believe that much good can come of legislation rammed through Congress by Democrats and passed without constructive debate. Furthermore, I don't believe that socialized medicine is the most effective solution to this dilemma. Nationalized health care would only remove the last vestiges of competition from the health care market, and when there is a lack of competition, the overall quality of a product suffers.
In any case, it's a discouraging sign that the Democrats would even consider fast-tracking such a significant policy change as adding another entitlement program without allowing the minority to have a significant say in the debate, in a time when government spending is already at astronomical levels, no less. Particularly in this crucial time, our representatives should be working together, respectful of ideological differences and receptive to each others' ideas, to ensure a financially and socially responsible solution to the health care dilemma.
